It has been another two weeks of the “Shelter at Home” ordinance with no end in sight.

In the past two weeks, we were informed that schools will not reopen for the rest of the year.

We were also informed that the state of Illinois will continue to “Shelter at Home” for the entire month of May.

As time goes on and we settle into this long lock down, I can’t help but reflect.

Is it because we have more time to sit around and think about our lives?

Or is it because life as we know it has been ripped out from under us and we are all at home picking up the pieces? Perhaps we find they no longer fit as well as they could or should.

Lately I’ve been noticing how happy I am for what I don’t have.

I don’t have a dog I have to stress walk every day, dodging fellow dog walkers in a game of chicken.

I don’t have a cleaner I have to pay then do the work myself, or worry I’m starving someone by not paying them during this time.

I don’t have to wake up in a panic every single school morning, feeling that I’m already behind and won’t be able to get everything done that I need to. Now Adam and I can lay in bed and snuggle, chatting leisurely and only getting out of bed when one of the kids starts complaining that they are hungry. (I think this is my favorite part of this quarantine.)

I don’t have any sort of beauty ritual. No dying, plucking, waxing, or painting that some expert needs to do to me on a normal basis.

I don’t even have a haircut that needs cutting that often. I’m lucky if I go every six months. So happy I never got those bangs I was thinking about!

Now, the boys (and man) in the house are a different story. This week Adam and Ben reached their comfort limit, their hair was just too long. So, in addition to my new ‘Shelter at Home’ job of full time teacher, I became a hairdresser too.

Adam was so annoyed by his Ronald McDonald bushy sides that he was walking around with a cap on most days. Finally, he let me try to cut it. We figured if I did as bad of a job as I did the last two times he let me cut it, he would just shave it off.

After Ben saw Adam’s hair, he let me have a go at his…

Ben’s is a bit patchy in the back but, hey, he can’t see it. I figure it will grow out before anyone notices.

I actually thought it would much worse. We couldn’t find the clipper guards in the house, so I did this with just a pair of kitchen scissors and a comb!

I’ve also been trying to cook new things. And bake. I went to the supermarket three different times and each time could not find flour so the next time I went to Costco I broke down and bought a 25 pound bag of it.

You think I’m crazy but a short two weeks later I’m almost done with one of the bins.

Another highlights of the past two weeks was a basement Easter Egg hunt.

The remote learning has started to settle into a routine. We’ve fallen into a staggered schedule, which gives me less time but makes me more available for all of my needy kids. (Except Sam. He can work independently.)

When we can, we try to get the kids out for some exercise and fresh air. At first they were too scared to go anywhere but the deck.

Eventually we got them out for a walk, with masks.

When they saw all the people out and about without masks, we were able to go further. Today we found a patch of grass where we could kick the soccer ball around and throw the football.

Next weekend is the twins birthday. They will not get their annual Dunkin Donut breakfast, or dinner out at the restaurant of their choice. They will not give out little gifts to their classmates. They will not get a birthday party either. Instead I must find a way to make this birthday special for them without throwing a bunch of money at it. It is one of the things I have been reflecting on these days. Can a birthday be special for the kids without all the bells and whistles? And how did we get to a place where it may not be in the first place?

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